This has, by far, been the laziest summer of my life. It's our first summer as husband and wife and we've been, what some of our friends would fondly refer to as, "serial chillin". Somewhere, in the midst of all our lounging, we acquired an appetite for the galette and for a small stint, we were eating them a couple of times per week. A decision that I would say was good to us, but maybe not so much for us.

Galettes are free form, open faced pies, sometimes referred to as tarts. They are the epitome of the lazy person's pie.

If you've never made a galette before here are the things you need to know:

First, they are easier than pie, literally! All you have to do is roll out your favorite pie crust, throw in about 3 cups of your favorite fruit filling, and pop that thing in the oven. There's no blind baking or any other fussy element.

Second, galettes are meant to have a kind of artisanal, homemade quality - meaning you don't have to put a lot of time and energy into getting a galette to look perfect. It's meant to look rustic.

Third, galettes can be thrown together with whatever fruits you have laying around. This is especially great if you have fruit that's about to spoil or you're in a pinch for time.

This strawberry balsamic galette has been adapted from a recipe in The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Melissa Elsen and Emily Elsen, sisters who own a few shops in New York. Their shop is on my bucket list to visit and their book is the best pie book I've ever come across. If you haven't checked it out, you would being doing yourself a favor in doing so.

I don't know that I would have naturally paired strawberries and balsamic vinegar, but the flavors totally work and the combination is fantastic.

Turbinado sugar (or another form of large crystal sugar), for finishing

Method

Have ready and refrigerated one pie round about 13 inches in diameter on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Quarter or slice the strawberries 1/4" thick and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of granulated sugar and gently combine. Set aside and allow strawberries to sit for 30 minutes, releasing their juices.

Peel and shred the apple on the large holes of a box grater. Carefully, drain accumulated juice from strawberries. Dump in the apple shreds. Sprinkle on balsamic vinegar and Angostura bitters. Combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, pepper, and salt. Gently fold the sugar mixture into the strawberry mixture. Set to the side.

Retrieve refrigerated pie round. Pour in the strawberry mixture and assemble the galette by folding over the edges 1-2 inches over the filling.

Important: Make sure to assemble to galette on the parchment lined rimmed baking sheet, it's a complete pain in the rear to assemble it on the counter and then try to move it to the baking sheet. Trust me.

Return formed galette back to the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Once chilled, brush the galette with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake in the middle rack of the oven until crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The galette will keep refrigerated for 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.